Atalanta BC – Real Madrid: Real Remain In The Race (2-3)

Adversity always brings out the best from Real Madrid. Backed into a corner and at risk of failing to get out of the group stage, a critical clash awaited with one of the most in-form outfits in Europe. But the suffering in this see-saw affair awarded them the three points they desired.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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The last meeting of these two teams ought to have opened a new dimension of domination. But this blockbuster might simply be the latest in a list of humblings for the current kings of the continent.

The divinities have decided to grant the goddess her time in the limelight. The Europa League crown signaled a second wind for Gian Piero Gasperini, who enshrined the legacy of his ascent at Atalanta. His men carried on the bid for further exploits in the new campaign. Napoli and AC Milan are among the outfits they have ousted on their charge to the Serie A summit, sitting two points clear at the top of the table. After a sluggish start, three points would mean ten triumphs in a row across all tournaments.

Real Madrid must have had visions of such success, banking on the calm demeanor of their director Carlo Ancelotti to assemble their superstars. But have too many cooks now spoiled the broth? Kylian Mbappé must harmonize with the rest of a crew where his status stands not head and shoulders above the rest. Already, Lille, AC Milan, and Liverpool landed victories on their records. Sitting in 24th spot in the table, are the reigning champions at real risk of elimination in the first phase of the tournament?

Ancelotti adjusted three members from his last lineup away at Girona. Fran García gained Ferland Mendy’s position on the left of the back four. In the middle of the park, veteran Luka Modrić made way for Dani Ceballos as the partner to Federico Valverde. Ahead of him, Arda Güler gave way to a returning star. Vinícius Júnior had recovered from a muscular issue, so he started as the left winger, and Brahim Díaz switched sides. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé completed the offense.

Gasperini gave his trust to the same selection from the last league outing: a 2-1 win over Milan. Since Davide Zappacosta had been on the sidelines with a calf strain, Raoul Bellanova held onto his place as a right wing-back. Sead Kolašinac, Isak Hien, and Berat Djimsiti were the central defenders. Matteo Ruggeri remained on the left edge of the back five. Marten de Roon acted as captain at the base of the midfield next to Éderson. Mario Pašalić played behind Charles de Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman.

Mbappé’s mobility makes a meaningful difference

Atalanta are an evolving club but an attachment to man-marking has not died. Similarly, Real Madrid maintain their affection for freedom on the field. And Ancelotti knew that the fluidity of his forwards would hold the key to breaking free from tight coverage. In the first phase, two men manufactured a strong connection. Mbappé’s mobility was a welcome sight on the last line against Hien while Brahim brought the ball under his spell in ‘dead spaces’ around the formation and tried to feed forward runs. 

2^nd minute: offensive sequence from Real Madrid. Brahim had broken the press with an elusive turn around Kolašinac. As Bellingham and Mbappé circulated the ball, he pulled outside Atalanta’s block, separating for the second time from his marker. Atalanta’s marking creates an awkward situation: de Roon sticks to Bellingham, neither Lookman nor Éderson defend the ball-goal line and the block has split horizontally. Hien is too focused on Mbappé, whose double movement draws open space to run.

Antonio Rüdiger pinged a long ball to Mbappé, who chopped away from Kolašinac, and heel flicked a pass to Brahim, bringing the rest of the team the time to get up the field. Lucas Vázquez had pushed forward on the right wing, asked for the ball, and returned it to the wide midfielder. Mbappé showed in the pocket, let the ball bounce across his body, and pushed his first touch around de Roon, taking him out of the game. He ruthlessly rattled a strike that slammed the net, beating Marco Carnesecchi.

But that fluidity did not last forever. The more static the buildup became, the more Atalanta could recover and assert their standard strengths off the ball. The goalkeeper had to resort to more of the long balls that he used in the Super Cup with little to no success. Meanwhile, Mbappé could not catch a break: having enjoyed a bright beginning, he departed the field with some discomfort in his groin.

Atalanta turn the tide

Failed buildup sequences also saw Atalanta advance in transition. De Ketelaere’s contributions came from through balls: he did not have the physical presence to try and overpower Rüdiger. But on the other side of the pitch, there was an obvious mismatch. Lookman looked lively with his dribbling, movement to receive inside the left pocket, and willingness to shift onto either foot for the half yard. He repeatedly rolled away from Vázquez on the break and Rüdiger’s recovery power bailed him out.

20^th minute: offensive transition from Atalanta. Bellanova and Kolašinac circulated the ball towards Ruggeri on the left wing. Vázquez was ahead of Lookman, who dropped down the line, and the right back followed him without ever retreating into a goal side position. So, Lookman can immediately dart again in behind the defense, using Vázquez’s momentum against him. Tchouaméni has to push out to engage Lookman, who picks out de Ketelaere in the box, but Courtois smothered his shot.

Atalanta also failed to produce from phases on the ball to pry open Madrid’s set defense. Their visitors loosely defended in a 4-2-3-1 layout. Mbappé, and then his replacement Rodrygo, as well as Vinícius, did not continually commit to resetting their position in this shape. De Ketelaere was active in wide channels with Bellanova, while Djimsiti did not bomb on, but Éderson would support with runs on the right side of the pitch. Ideas were useful but the speed of the actions in the final third was too slow.

More aggressive deep runs tend to feature from Kolašinac, who caused chaos close to half time. He claimed the ball just beyond the halfway line and strode forward through the inside channel. A pass to Pašalić followed, and the midfielder manufactured the room to find his feet. No one had tracked him, and Tchouaméni’s trip turned out to be merely a late obstruction, giving away a penalty. De Ketelaere collected the ball, rifling a strike from twelve yards into the roof of the net and past Thibaut Courtois.

45 + 1^st minute: offensive sequence from Atalanta. Kolašinac carried the ball forwards and then he offloaded it to Pašalić. Valverde doubled up on the outside, but Brahim did not drop backward with Kolašinac as the spare man. The central defender arrived goal side of Tchouaméni, drawing a foul.

Real reaccelerate the game

Atalanta attempted to switch assignments in their block. Brahim brought the ball under control, spun away from Kolašinac, and loitered lower between the lines. Kolašinac covered Bellingham and as Éderson jumped to Ceballos, Brahim was free. Hien did not want to follow him, asking Djimsiti to pick up him as he recovered with the run of Vinícius. It seemed fine till the ball bounced off Éderson’s legs. The Brazilian was still ahead of his marker, seized the opportunity, and slotted a shot goalbound.

Could Madrid maintain this advantage? Their next intervention indicated that would be the probable conclusion. The central defenders split, and Vinícius dropped deep enough to receive a 15 yard pass from Courtois. He raised his head and clipped a deep ball to Bellingham. He was under the marking of de Roon but raced ahead of him to retain possession. He shimmied to his right, getting separation from the midfielder, shifted onto his left foot, and tucked away Madrid’s third goal of the evening.

Atalanta answer back

However, Atalanta are not in the habit of relenting. A mere six minutes later, the hosts had halved the deficit. From the latter phases of a corner, substitute Lazar Samardžić swung a switch to Lookman on the left of the penalty area. He squared up with Vázquez, shifted inside the right back, and placed an effort between his legs. Courtois could not sprawl across the floor in time. It was game on once again.

Ademola Lookman has registered 41 goal contributions in 64 games since the beginning of last season.

Another big game involvement for the forward 🔥 pic.twitter.com/i5zjDGa71s

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 10, 2024

In the final half hour, the hosts would keep more than 60% of the ball. They had nine shots, five of which were on target, and pulled off five of seven attempted dribbles. For the final fifteen minutes, Gasperini sent on three players. Odilon Kossounou came on for Djimsiti, Mateo Retegui replaced de Ketelaere, and Bellanova bowed out for Zappacosta. Their final offensive siege was in full swing.

Kossounou craved forward routes on and off the ball to the edge of the box. In this area of the field, the front three had reconfigured. Retegui was now a central point of reference, mostly moving between the width of the two posts, and Samardžić scrambled the midfield with more carries.

86^th minute: offensive sequence from Atalanta. Kolašinac had filtered behind Modrić as a third man to pass to Lookman before he and Ruggeri advanced ahead of the left forward. Samardžić showed for the ball, receiving when Asencio and Modrić shifted outwards as Lookman looked to go to the byline. He dribbles around Modrić; Bellingham and Valverde jumped, so he put the ball in a gap for Retegui to run onto. The striker successfully timed his run across the two defenders, forcing Courtois to parry.

Raúl Asencio added reinforcement to the right of the back four and Vázquez filled in on the right of the midfield. Modrić and Güler joined Valverde in the midfield. Madrid maintained their composure till a scare that ought to have cost them the triumph. The ever willing Lookman latched onto the ball and flashed a delivery across the six yard box. Retegui connected, but he steered the ball over the bar.

Takeaways

Atalanta again could not topple their illustrious competitors. Yet, they continue to go from strength to strength under Gasperini. The physical strains and stresses of their approach allowed the guests to grow as time went on, but the vision is clear, and the players can perform with new variations to the blueprint to pose problems to their rivals. The assault on two fronts has been an almightily impressive effort but the camp can now double down on their security of the top spot in Serie A to end the year.

For Real Madrid, this was a task of survival. Without a win, they would have dropped out of the top 24. Instead, they have surged six places up the standings and could claim one of the eight automatic positions for qualifications with a 100% record next month. Ancelotti’s men turned up at the moment when it mattered the most with the mobility and finishing of the forwards forging a lead that they labored to sustain. The manager must now hope his players find their fitness for the start of 2025.

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